Happy Birthday, Hans Christian Andersen

Hans Christian Andersen was born in Odense, Denmark on April 2, 1805. As a child, Andersen showed a strong propensity for literature, particularly plays, and would put on his own puppet shows. His parents encouraged their son’s lively imagination: his father would take him to the playhouse, while his mother’s superstitious beliefs inspired his love of folklore. When he was 11 years old, Andersen’s rosy childhood ended with the death of his father. He began working at various jobs, and at the age of 14, he moved to Copenhagen to seek employment as an actor, singer and dancer. After his voice changed, he was forced to leave the stage and he switched to writing plays. Although his first plays were all rejected, he received a grant that funded his tuition in grammar school and Copenhagen University. Read more about Andersen’s early years in this biography on the Web site of Pegasos, a Finnish literary magazine.

After completing his studies, Andersen began writing. His first short stories and poetry collections helped to make a name for the young writer. In 1831, Andersen began traveling around Europe, which inspired numerous travel pieces and “The Improvisatore,” a well-received novel set in Italy. Between the years of 1835 and 1872, Andersen produced the work that would cement his fame: 156 fairy tales, most of which were published in booklets released each Christmas. The majority of these stories, which include such legendary works as “The Little Mermaid,” “The Ugly Duckling,” “The Emperor’s New Clothes” and “The Princess and the Pea,” were not rewritten versions of old tales; rather, they were fully original creations of Andersen’s vivid imagination.

Read a selection of Andersen’s famous fairy tales on the Titiland Tales magazine Web site.

Review a collection of all of Andersen’s literary works from the Hans Christian Andersen Center.

Hans Christian Andersen died in August 1875 at the age of 70. Anderson’s stories continue to inspire numerous works in literature and other media. Since 1967, International Children’s Book Day has been observed on or near Andersen’s birthday, April 2, as a means of instilling a passion for reading in children. This tribute to the author is described on the International Board on Books for Young People site.

In 2005, Denmark celebrated the two hundredth anniversary of Andersen’s birth with an eight-month-long celebration of the author’s life and work. Read about this unique birthday bash in this article from The New York Times.